Standing on the beginning line on the 2024 Paris Olympics marathon as a member of Workforce USA is the second main accomplishment. The primary one comes roughly six months earlier than, when it’s important to race to earn your spot.
On a sizzling and humid morning in Orlando, Fiona O’Keeffe gained the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:22:10. To name it a surprising debut marathon can be a large understatement. O’Keefe commanded the lead in a subject of deeply-talented runners with a calm-yet-complete confidence, and gained by over 30 seconds.
O’Keeffe, 25, is certainly not new to operating. (She was a six-time All-American at Stanford College.) However she is new to the extraordinary highlight that Olympic success typically brings. Fortunately, the Workforce USA star excels at defending her peace.
“I’ve been with the PUMA Elite Running Team for the last month or so of my training buildup in Mammoth Lakes, California, which is one of my favorite places in the world,” O’Keeffe says. “It’s so calming and beautiful to just spend time outside here—there are beautiful alpine lakes and forests filled with pines and aspens all around us. I also find it helpful to have a nice group of teammates up here, so I’m not constantly thinking of only my own preparations.”
The soft-spoken, under-the-radar racer caught up with us forward of her Olympic debut to share a number of wholesome habits that not solely maintain her stress in examine, however maintain her mentally and bodily on prime of her sport.
1. She is aware of easy methods to bounce again
Restoration is a large a part of her precise job, particularly throughout a marathon coaching block. So this isn’t a spot that O’Keeffe skimps on. In reality, she’s typically contemplating easy methods to maximize her restoration even whereas operating.
“Training in the PUMA ForeverRun NITRO and Magnify NITRO 2 shoes gives my legs a little extra love when they’re feeling tired,” she says. “I also get regular sports massages—not always a relaxing experience!—and use a foam roller and lacrosse ball to target tight spots most days.”
However the piece that makes the largest influence on how she ensures she’s being constructed up slightly than overwhelmed down by robust coaching? Prioritizing bedtime.
“Sleep is huge for me,” O’Keeffe says. “I always have a pair of earplugs and a physical book on my nightstand—I need to read a physical book at night to fall asleep.”
2. She finds time to unwind
When she’s not operating, there’s likelihood you’ll discover O’Keeffe with a ebook–normally a bodily copy–in hand.
“My taste in books is a bit all over the place,” says the voracious reader. “I rotate between classics, fun light reads, non-fiction, and memoirs. I recently read Emily Henry’s Beach Read as well as Lindsey Vonn’s memoir, which was pretty inspirational. Currently, I’m working my way through Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and a Paulo Coelho novel.”
She places her personal pen to paper, too.
“I do a good amount of journaling,” provides O’Keeffe. “I’d describe it as pretty unstructured. Writing has always been a nice outlet.”
“Sleep is huge for me. I always have a pair of earplugs and a physical book on my nightstand—I need to read a physical book at night to fall asleep.” —Fiona O’Keeffe
3. She outlets good
O’Keeffe could be very captivated with environmental points, and tries to stay extra sustainably and eat extra consciously.
“I definitely use a reusable water bottle every day and always have it on hand to do my best to stay hydrated,” she says. “However, I think the biggest way we can live more sustainably is to reduce our overall consumption rather than focusing on specific products. If there’s a specific trendy item on social media, I try to discern whether it would really be something that holds up and that I’d use for a long time. If not, I try to pass on it.”
4. She retains it easy
O’Keeffe is a superb reminder that not sweating the small stuff is an lively alternative. Her favourite non-running accent in the mean time? A pair of sun shades she picked up from the grocery retailer. “They just happened to fit perfectly,” she stated. “You’d never guess!”
From how she retains her attractive locks wholesome (“My hair care routine is very simple—the biggest thing is not washing it too frequently and using a good conditioner on it,” she says) to her pre-race packing checklist (“I pack in a small black PUMA roller bag—as long as I have my uniform, running shoes, and a book I’m good to go!”), O’Keeffe doesn’t waste vitality worrying about all of the little issues. And because of this, she has extra vitality to care concerning the large issues, like bringing her finest 26.2 to the streets of Paris.
You may catch Fiona O’Keeffe competing within the ladies’s marathon on August 11. NBCUniversal is the official U.S. broadcaster for the Paris 2024 Summer time Olympics, however you you may also watch O’Keeffe on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, USA Community, CNBC, and E!
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